Ditch neck pain! This 10-minute abs workout sculpts and strengthens your core (no sit-ups needed)

A photo of a man in the gym with strong abs.

Sit-ups and crunches are effective core exercises, but they’re also moves that can leave you feeling pain in your neck the following day if you’re not careful with how you do them.

Any abs exercise that involves sitting up from a lying position risks neck strain, and while you can avoid this by holding your head still and using your abs rather than other muscles to drive the movement, you can also train your core without this kind of move.